The invention relates generally to vehicle brake systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for brake assisted turning.
Vehicle braking systems are often operated manually by an operator pressing one or more brake pedals. For example, certain passenger vehicles may have one brake pedal that, when pressed, activates left and right brakes. Other vehicles, such as certain agricultural, work, and off-road vehicles, may have two brake pedals, one brake pedal for the left brakes and another brake pedal for the right brakes. Although the brakes are often operated by manually pressing a brake pedal, the brakes may also be operated automatically using control systems. For example, a control system may determine certain times when it is appropriate to apply the brakes and the control system may automatically apply the brakes.
One circumstance where the brakes may be automatically controlled is when a vehicle is turning. As may be appreciated, when turning a vehicle, the turning radius may be larger than desired. Therefore, the brakes may be applied during the turn to improve the turning radius of the vehicle. Further, it should be noted that, certain vehicles, such as agricultural vehicles, may have a larger turning radius than other vehicles and, thus, have a greater need for improving their turning radius. The brakes may be applied during a turn either manually by pressing a brake pedal or automatically by using a control system. When manually applying the brakes, an operator may apply too little or too much pressure to the brakes. Conversely, when the brakes are applied automatically, the control system may monitor various parameters to apply an optimal amount of brake pressure. However, such braking systems may be limited in their ability to automatically control vehicle braking. Accordingly, there exists a need for braking systems that accurately control automatic vehicle braking.